Mother’s love drives her Ant’

Thursday

Jun 2, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Dianne Williamson

If you happened to be driving on I-290 in Hudson one night in early December, you may have witnessed an unusual scene: two strong men pulled over on the side of the road, hugging each other and crying like babies in the front seat.

They’re father and son, a veteran Worcester police detective and a student-athlete from Burncoat High. They were returning from Boston, where the son had been interviewed for three hours by the Posse Foundation, which awards college scholarships to student leaders.

Anthony Gingerelli badly wanted one of those scholarships, and everyone who knew this extraordinary young man was pulling for him. Among them was his guidance counselor, Jane C. Dowd, who described him in a recommendation as “one of those very special students” whom educators hold in awe.

“His mother taught him about fighting the difficult fight and making the most of every moment,” wrote Ms. Dowd.

Anthony is the youngest in a family of three older sisters and was adored by his mother, Lisa Gingerelli, a raven-haired beauty with a magnetic smile. The two shared a tight bond, although Lisa had more reason than most to be proud of the child she called “Ant.” He wasn’t the smartest kid in school, but Anthony possessed the kind of qualities often elusive in teenage boys — compassion, empathy, a big heart and quiet strength of spirit.

“He’s the kid who stands out,” said Ms. Dowd, noting that Anthony is a baseball star but befriends his special education classmates. “Every teacher in the building loves him.”

Anthony was only 12 in 2006 when his mother learned that neuroendocrine tumors had invaded her liver, but she never let her children know how sick she was. Three years later and just a week before she died, a gaunt Lisa Gingerelli was wrapped in a blanket on a warm May afternoon and sitting in her favorite spot — cheering her son from the stands as he played the infield for Burncoat.

“My mom was unbelievable,” Anthony said this week. “She always put a smile on my face. I’d be lying on the couch watching TV, and she’d just leap on me and want to snuggle and cuddle. That was the absolute best feeling, as annoying as I thought it was at the time.”

Lisa was 47 in June of 2009 when she lost her battle, surrounded by her family. Devastated, Anthony left her hospital bedside and drove his fist into a restroom stall. His father, Michael Gingerelli, followed him inside.

“Ant, you can’t do that,” his father said softly. “You’re a man now. You have to act like a man.”

Anthony took those words to heart. He delivered a reading at his mother’s funeral, a moment he later described as the toughest and proudest of his young life. He’s tried to be a rock for his grieving father and sisters. A picture of his mom sits on his desk and he thinks of her every day.

“I’m so amazed at how resilient he is,” Michael Gingerelli said. “I’m the father, but I feed off him.”

After his mother died, Anthony redoubled his efforts to make her proud. He enrolled in college placement classes and became secretary of the National Honor Society. After helping bring a program to Burncoat intended to inspire kindness, Anthony took the microphone and praised his mother as tears rolled down his cheeks.

“I realize that in the blink of an eye, life can change,” he would later write in a college essay called “My Guardian Angel,” which is devoted to his mother. “To live a fulfilling life, you must make the most out of every day.”

The essay was submitted to the Posse Foundation, which awards coveted four-year scholarships to student leaders throughout the country. In Boston, the foundation received more than 1,300 nominations for 61 scholarships. Recipients are chosen after a rigorous series of interviews.

On Dec. 8, Anthony drove to Boston with his dad for the final interview. His phone rang on the way home. It was the Posse Foundation. Anthony had won a four-year scholarship to Bucknell University.

“I pulled over and broke down,” said Anthony, 17. “I hugged my dad. It was an emotional time for both of us.”

On Tuesday, his dad’s 54th birthday, Anthony was one of five Posse scholars who were honored by the mayor at City Hall. That night, he received the Burncoat baseball team’s MVP trophy. Today the team heads to the playoffs, led by Anthony, who is batting close to .400 and sometimes still looks to the stands for his guardian angel.

“I have a lot of goals,” Anthony said. “I’m going to be the kind of man my mom raised me to be.”